04/11/2016
In Small's sprawling, evocative debut, Joss Ellen Ryckman stops running from her past and, after the death of her mother, returns to her childhood farm in upstate New York. The book follows Joss as she navigates owning the Brooklyn bakery her mother started—which she's been managing since she was 20—and then moving into the farmhouse. Small's expansive prose spares no expense on powerful and descriptive details. Much of the book is spent in reminiscence as Joss spins endlessly in the revolving door of memory, comparing her life now with her childhood on the farm. Her memories circle mainly around her father, Big Paul, who called her "Paulie-girl" or "Boy-o" and had a set of expectations Joss is only now realizing she could never live up to. Among a larger cast of characters, past and present, the winding narrative follows Joss coming to terms with her own agency and realizing that the past doesn't necessarily determine the future. Joss also decides to stop hiding from two family tragedies: one of her mother's and one of her own. These haunting moments bookend the narrative and illuminate the raw edges of Joss' experience. This deeply expressive book is a fine exploration of personal history and the significance of place as a means of finding oneself. (Oct.)
"Brooklyn café owner and baker Joss Ryckman was dressed in pink by her mother but called 'Paulie-girl' and 'Boy-o' by her father, Paul. Now a grown woman, she’s still living in the shadow of the hopes and wishes of her parents. When her mother dies, Joss returns to her mother’s ancestral home in Cannan, NY, a place haunted by tragedies. She lives the dual life that her mother did 20 years before, traveling between Canaan and Brooklyn. But the men in her life want more from her. Wyatt, a combat veteran who loves her, is fighting to remain by her side even as she pushes him away. She is also pulled back to the city by another in a long series of acts of gun violence by her aging and volatile father. VERDICT Joss’s understanding her father’s penchant for violence and anger takes a long time to unfold. The book relies heavily on dialog that doesn’t always propel the narrative. In the end, this debut author still provides a gripping snapshot of a dysfunctional family torn apart by their own doing." — Susan Santa - Library Journal
“Marie White Small’s mesmerizing prose has delighted people locally for years, but now with the publication of Stony Kill, her work will get a wider and much deserved audience. This book is filled with energy and surprise, and Small’s poignant choice of words and phrases make it a pleasure to read. Every reader will be absorbed in this spellbinding book and learn what we in Vermont have known for years—Marie White Small is a true gem.” — Bill Morgan
Author of Howl on Trial: The Battle for Free Expression,I Celebrate Myself: The Somewhat Private Life of Allen Ginsberg,The Beat Generation in San Francisco: A Literary Tour,Beat Generation in New York: A Walking Tour of Jack Kerouac’s City,The Typerwriter is Holy: The Complete, Uncensored History of the Beat Generation,The Civil War Lover’s Guide to New York City, and Bennington and the Civil War
“Marie White Small’s use of language reveals the culture and unique qualities of her characters. She examines an authentic life with all its discomforts and struggles. I am in awe of what she has accomplished; her courage and conviction to boldly look back with clear eyes is her greatest gift to her readers.” — Michael Murphy, Ed.D. DFP, Chief of Mental Health Services, The Vermont Department of Corrections - Author of Popsicle Fish: Tales of Fathering and a contributor to The Chicken Soup for the Soul Series
“In this story of old family wounds, author Marie White Small opens with a gunshot and uses skillful pacing to keep the mystery behind that violence a secret until the very end.” — Susan Kushner Resnick, Author of the New York Times best seller You Saved Me, Too
“Marie White Small’s mesmerizing prose has delighted people locally for years, but now with the publication of Stony Kill, her work will get a wider and much deserved audience. This book is filled with energy and surprise, and Small’s poignant choice of words and phrases make it a pleasure to read. Every reader will be absorbed in this spellbinding book and learn what we in Vermont have known for years—Marie White Small is a true gem.”
—Bill Morgan
Author of Howl on Trial: The Battle for Free Expression, I Celebrate Myself: The Somewhat Private Life of Allen Ginsberg, The Beat Generation in San Francisco: A Literary Tour, Beat Generation in New York: A Walking Tour of Jack Kerouac’s City, The Typerwriter is Holy: The Complete, Uncensored History of the Beat Generation, The Civil War Lover’s Guide to New York City, and Bennington and the Civil War
“Marie White Small’s use of language reveals the culture and unique qualities of her characters. She examines an authentic life with all its discomforts and struggles. I am in awe of what she has accomplished; her courage and conviction to boldly look back with clear eyes is her greatest gift to her readers.”
Michael Murphy, Ed.D. DFP, Chief of Mental Health Services, The Vermont Department of Corrections
Author of Popsicle Fish: Tales of Fathering and a contributor to The Chicken Soup for the Soul Series
“In this story of old family wounds, author Marie White Small opens with a gunshot and uses skillful pacing to keep the mystery behind that violence a secret until the very end.”
—Susan Kushner Resnick Author of the New York Times best seller You Saved Me, Too
10/15/2015
Brooklyn café owner and baker Joss Ryckman was dressed in pink by her mother but called "Paulie-girl" and "Boy-o" by her father, Paul. Now a grown woman, she's still living in the shadow of the hopes and wishes of her parents. When her mother dies, Joss returns to her mother's ancestral home in Cannan, NY, a place haunted by tragedies. She lives the dual life that her mother did 20 years before, traveling between Canaan and Brooklyn. But the men in her life want more from her. Wyatt, a combat veteran who loves her, is fighting to remain by her side even as she pushes him away. She is also pulled back to the city by another in a long series of acts of gun violence by her aging and volatile father. VERDICT Joss's understanding her father's penchant for violence and anger takes a long time to unfold. The book relies heavily on dialog that doesn't always propel the narrative. In the end, this debut author still provides a gripping snapshot of a dysfunctional family torn apart by their own doing.—Susan Santa, Syosset P.L., NY
